This invention relates to an improved system for humidifying medical gases that are administered to a patient, such as oxygen, air, helium or anesthesia gases.
The gas which is supplied to a hospital patient must be humidified because of the inherently low humidity of the gas exiting conventional gas tanks. The term "gas" as used herein is intended to include all types of gases, such as oxygen, air oxygen mixtures, helium and anesthesia gases. The term "water" as used herein is intended to include distilled water, tap water and other water-containing liquids, such as saline solution.
Disposable humidifier assemblies are in wide use in hospitals today. One type of disposable humidifier assembly depends upon an open water supply thereby providing an obvious risk of contamination. Another type of disposable humidifier assembly includes a plastic bottle containing sterile water. Although the top of the bottle is not sterile, a separate connector which couples the bottle to a gas supply must be inserted into the top of the bottle, thereby forcing a possibly contaminated portion of the bottle into an otherwise sterilized container portion.
It has been found desirable to provide a disposable humidifier assembly which utilizes a sterile solution and a connector assembly which can couple the sterile solution to a gas supply without placing the sterile solution in communication with possibly contaminated portions of either the bottle or the connector. Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable humidifier assembly which significantly avoids risk of contamination.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable humidifier assembly that is relatively simple to manufacture and easy to use.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.